Understand Me
by YakumoFanGirl
Summary: Chapter 4 is up! CloTi It is 3 years after AC and Cloud and Tifa are getting married, but who or what is stealling their materia?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters or lyrics by Depeche Mode.

Cloud sighed as he walked out the door. Tifa had just heard the bell on the door and had called out to him to see where he was going. He looked back just in time to see her entering the bar from the stairs, with worry in her eyes.

"You aren't going out for days on end again are you?" her voice tainted with worry.

"Please understand me Tifa, I really need to go right now." His eyes pleaded with her for understanding.

_I'm not going down on my knees,_

_Begging you to adore me_

_Can't you see it's misery_

_And torture for me_

_When I'm misunderstood_

_Try as hard as you can, I've tried as hard as I could_

_To make you see_

_How important it is for me._

Tifa's eyes softened as she said, "I know you do, just don't forget you're welcome here and this is your home."

He thanked her with a look of deepest gratitude and a plea for her to accept what he was doing.

_Here is a plea_

_From my heart to you_

_Nobody knows me_

_As well as you do_

_You know how hard it is for me_

_To shake the disease_

_That takes hold of my tongue_

_In situations like these_

He shut the door and prayed that she really understood his need to go.

_Understand me._

Tifa waited for him to close the door before letting her crystal tears fall to the floor, like one of her many glasses shattered on the floor. Even though Cloud's disappearing act wasn't as frequent or as long as it used to be, it still hurt when he left. After Cloud had defeated Kadaj and his gang, he had gotten a lot better at staying around for longer and leaving for shorter periods of time. By now he had gotten it down to an absence of four days. He also tended to stay for about two months before "needing" to go again.

Meanwhile, Cloud had just swung his leg over Fenrir and revved the engine. He was experiencing very confused and mixed feelings. Part of him was still back with Tifa while the other half was telling him to run until he was so lost he couldn't get back.

_Some People have to be_

_Permanently together_

_Lovers devoted to_

_Each other forever_

_Now I've got things to do_

_And I've said before that I know you have, too_

_When I'm not there_

_In spirit I'll be there._

He hoped that Tifa could feel the part of him that she had unknowingly stole, the piece of his heart that he would never be able to retrieve no mater how hard he tried. In secret he didn't want it back and hoped that he would soon be able to be the man she deserved.

_Here is a plea_

_From my heart to you_

_Nobody knows me_

_As well as you do_

_You know how hard it is for me_

_To shake the disease_

_That takes hold of my tongue_

_In situations like these_

_Understand me._

The wind hit his face as he tore towards the outskirts. He was headed to the bluff where the monument of a sword stood to mark the place of his friend's death. He always headed there first to talk to Zack. Even though he knew it didn't really matter where he was when he talked to Zack, he just felt closer to him there.

Tifa slumped on the counter, bitter tears streaming from her face. She went through this every time he left. Couldn't he see it was killing her slowly little by little? She let out an angry yell and kicked the counter as hard as she could with the ball of her foot. Pain immediately assaulted her foot as she realized that she was still barefoot. She gingerly set her foot on the floor and felt more pain shoot through it as she tried to put weight on it. Was there no end to suffering for her? She knew she had possibly sprained her foot, she had felt the insides move around when she kicked the counter. At least her attention was on something else now.

She was inspecting the damage to the counter just as Marlene and Denzel made it down the stairs. They were both talking about a school assignment when they saw Tifa looking at the side of the counter and favoring her foot.

"Are you alright Tifa?" Marlene asked worriedly. She knew that Tifa didn't get hurt that easily, so she was concerned.

Tifa looked up and smiled at her with tears still brimming from her eyes. "I'll be okay, I think", she said as she tried to walk to a chair. It hurt incredibly and it took longer than usual to get to the chair. "I don't think I'll be able to open the bar today" she said as she put her foot up on another nearby chair. "Marlene, would you please get me an ice pack?"

"Sure," Marlene answered and went to the freezer to retrieve one.

"Denzel, would you be able to get to school on your own today?" she asked.

"Yeah, but why can't Cloud take us?" he asked. Denzel loved it when Cloud took them to school. Fenrir was so cool and all the other kids thought it was awesome that he and Marlene got such a sweet ride.

Tifa smiled weakly and said, "He has gone out again, early this morning."

Marlene had come back with the ice pack and had heard that Cloud wasn't there again. All the pieces suddenly fell into place as to what happened to Tifa's foot, but she didn't say a word.

Tifa had seen both of their faces fall when she said that Cloud had left. "Don't worry, I know he'll be back, besides he doesn't leave for as long as he used to", she said trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

Denzel and Marlene ate breakfast and then helped Tifa get back to her room. They also made sure she had a phone within reach and was comfortable. Then they left for school.

Cloud knelt at the buster sword and thought about why he was there. Whenever his self-confidence went down he always ran. It was getting easier not to run, but he still had these instances where he couldn't stand it anymore and the instinct to run became too great. When it got that bad he would cave in and leave.

He stared at the sword and thought of Zack. Aerith and Zack were finally back together now that they were both in the Lifestream. He knew they were happy even though things hadn't gone so well for them when they were here.

All that Cloud wanted was to be happy with Tifa. Instead he was out here wallowing in his own pain. It had been three years and he felt his progress was going so slowly. Why couldn't he just stay home all the time without leaving? He knew the pain it caused the kids and especially Tifa. Every time he came back he could see how much she had been hurting, and even though she always let him back into her life, he knew it was hard for her to do. Of course she always would. But she shouldn't have to, he thought bitterly.

His gaze had fallen from the sword and he looked back up at it. He wished that Zack were still there for him to talk to about all this. He wouldn't even be here if it hadn't been for him.

He straitened up and looked at the buster sword with determination. "I will live out both our lives", he said with conviction. That was when he realized that if he was going to do that, Zack wouldn't approve of his current state of mind.

Cloud started thinking about what he could do when he got home. He thought he could bring the kids a movie they wanted to see, and bring Tifa flowers, red roses, and maybe more. His mouth curved up on one side in a kind of half smile that looked more like a smirk. Now that he was thinking about it, he wanted to go pick things out now and then go home. Wouldn't they be surprised that he was coming home so much sooner than usual? He couldn't wait to see their faces. "Thanks Zack", he said. "You still help me out. Even now." With that he walked back to Fenrir and headed back towards Edge.

Thank you for reading. I started this since I'm stuck on my other fanfic. This is my first FFVII fanfic, so I hope I'm doing ok. Hopefully doing this will help me be able to go on with my other fanfic (it's an Escaflowne fanfic) and I can finish them both.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or Advent Children. As much as I would love to own both Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda, I don't.

Please don't flame me for including Zelda in this (I thought it would be funny).

Cloud stepped into a store called "Trev's Movies". He knew the kids wanted some movie called Final Fantasy, but when he found it there were so many that he wasn't sure which one it was. He frowned and decided to check out their second pick which he knew would be "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess". He found it and picked up the movie. The front depicted a wolf on it and the back had a description of some young man that had been turned into a wolf. Well, it couldn't be that bad if it had a wolf in it, he thought.

After paying for the movie he headed for another store. This one was more expensive looking and was called "Stones of Fire". When Cloud entered this store the man at the back looked up to see his new customer. Cloud just stood there feeling overwhelmed about where to begin. The cases shone and all kinds of things glittered at him.

The man at the back of the store was unsure of this new customer; he looked like a rouge with that sword strapped on his back (it was as big as him). However, he managed to pick up enough courage to approach Cloud. He took a gulp before speaking, "can I help you?" he croaked.

Cloud didn't even notice the man's voice; he was so overwhelmed by the cases. "Yes", Cloud answered. "Where are your rings?" he queried. Then he noticed what a silly question that was since he was staring at all kinds of them. He didn't want to be more specific, because he knew these weren't the kind he was looking for.

The jeweler was confused since this rouge warrior was starring right at a cluster of rings. "Are you looking for a specific kind of ring?" he asked, trying not to let his voice betray his feelings of unease.

Cloud felt the blood rushing to his cheeks as he said, "I'm looking for an engagement ring". There. He said it out loud; he didn't think it would be so hard.

"Right this way", the jeweler said and led him to a glass case near the back of the store. "Do you know what style she would like?" he asked the warrior before him.

"Err, umm, not really", Cloud said as he stared at all the sparkling beauties underneath the glass. But then one happened to catch his eye. "What about this one here? The one with the blue stones", said Cloud.

The jeweler was surprised, that was one of his newest settings and even though he had some that would be more expensive, this one wouldn't come cheap. It was white gold with a blue diamond in the center with smaller sapphires and white diamonds surrounding it. All the stones were bevel set and it gave the illusion of a star shooting through the night sky. He opened the case and took out the one indicated.

Cloud picked up the ring and after closer inspection saw that it was a wedding set. The wedding band licked around the edge of the engagement ring and also held a few stones. "I think this is perfect," Cloud stated, pleased that he found what he wanted. "I'll take it," he stated.

By now the jeweler was more shocked than when the rouge man first walked into the store. He hadn't even looked at the price tag. "You're sure?" he asked uncertain.

Cloud checked the price so he could shell out the money and promptly took out his wallet. He looked over the contents and took out the required amount, handing it to the jeweler. "I'm more than sure. I'm positive," he stated.

The ring was now boxed and tucked safely away in one of Cloud's pockets. He half grinned and started looking for the hardest thing left to find, red roses. If Cloud had been accustomed to it he would have whistled.

Meanwhile, back at Seventh Heaven, Tifa lay on her bed. She was propped up against pillows so she would be in a sitting position. She sighed and sat down the book she was trying to read. Her foot continued to throb and it had already started to swell despite her efforts. She had been icing it to no avail, it just continued to swell and get more uncomfortable.

She furrowed her brow in frustration. Why couldn't she find her cure materia? Yuffie must have gotten sticky fingers again the last time she came to visit. It was the only explanation Tifa could think of.

Her eyes grew tears behind them again as she thought of Cloud for the hundredth time that day. Would he care if he knew that she had hurt herself? She hadn't tried calling him because she knew that he needed his space right now and she could wait.

What was wrong with her? She never thought this way. She was Tifa and she was always positive about things, not the negative type. Yet try as she might she just couldn't seem to shake out the bad feelings assaulting her mind. She felt all alone in the world right now and as if her misery was bottled up with her.

Luckily for her Marlene and Denzel came home from school at about three o'clock. Once they came home it helped to get her mind off things. They came into her room to spend time with her while doing their homework. When they had finished they talked about the day's events at school. It was coming up on five o'clock when Marlene asked Tifa if they should order out tonight so that she wouldn't have to worry about cooking. Tifa said they could and Marlene and Denzel immediately started discussing what they wanted to eat.

By this time it was getting dark and Cloud was thinking it was time to go home with his "surprises". It had taken a long time, but he had found the red roses he wanted just before dark. As he neared Seventh Heaven he noticed that it seemed a lot more quiet than usual for having just closed. He parked Fenrir and sprinted up the stairs to the door. It was dark and he didn't see Tifa cleaning up like she usually would be or even preparing dinner.

Cloud's mind raced trying to think what could have happened, he hoped everything was fine. As he unlocked the door and went in the bell rang its cheerful tune. He sometimes hated that bell. How was he to sneak in with it there? Grimacing, he turned to lock the door and then proceeded up the stairs. Everything was way too quiet. He licked his lips without thinking and treaded softly. Now he was in the hallway with Tifa's room straight ahead. The door was shut and he could hear voices coming from inside.

"Tifa, how's your foot doing? Do you need another ice pack?" Cloud heard Marlene's voice from behind the door. What had happened to Tifa? Cloud wondered. He could contain himself no longer and opened the door.

Everyone in the room looked up, startled by the opening door. There stood Cloud with an expression of worry on his face. Tifa and Marlene also noticed the bouquet of roses in his left hand, currently forgotten by Cloud in his worry.

"Cloud", they all chorused together. Tifa smiled weakly, her foot twigging as Marlene and Denzel jumped off the bed, both smiling from ear to ear.

Seeing that they were so happy to see him, Cloud came in and hugged Marlene and Denzel. "Have you eaten already?" he asked.

"No" the kids said together, "We were just trying to figure out what to order."

"How about noodles?" Cloud suggested.

"You always want noodles," Marlene said in an exasperated voice.

"That's because they're good," chimed in Denzel.

"Alright that's settled then," said Cloud. "One of you two go order the noodles and I'll be right out with something for you two." He winked at them and both kids went flying from the room to see who could get to the phone first.

Cloud turned to Tifa, concern written all over his face. "What happened?" he asked. "I brought you flowers, but I didn't think I would be giving them to someone with a hurt foot." He glanced down at it and saw that it was getting close to double in size and was starting to show signs of bruising. He winced as he looked at it knowing how much it must be hurting. He then remembered the flowers again for the second time and said, "These are for you."

Tifa smiled as she took the roses and sniffed their fragrance, her lids were closed as she inhaled their lovely scent and Cloud thought she had never looked more beautiful. "Thank you," she said as she gingerly she set the flowers down and looked up at him.

"Well, what happened?" Cloud asked her. He was worried that someone had hurt his Tifa.

"Cloud, …I…I got upset after you left and kicked the counter downstairs," Tifa said, feeling the blush creep up her neck as she revealed the truth to him. "I was still barefoot and I kicked it with the ball of my foot pretty hard."

He relaxed a little knowing now that no external force needed to be dealt with. Cloud sat on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You silly girl, where's your cure materia so we can fix you up?"

"I looked for it earlier and couldn't find it," she confessed. "What about you? Don't you have one on you?" she asked, hoping he did.

"Actually I don't either," Cloud said slightly bothered by this realization. He knew he had one, but when had it disappeared? "We'll have to worry about it later," he said. "I'll be right back," Cloud said, remembering the delivery would be showing up soon and he didn't want the kids getting the door.

He left her room and headed down the stairs and turned a light on. Just as he was getting a drink of water he heard the delivery driver pull up and he went to the door to collect the delivery and pay the bill.

After the delivery driver left he took the order upstairs and gave the kids their order and their present.

"Wow, cool beans," said Denzel

"Lets watch it now!" said Marlene excitedly.

They both turned to thank Cloud and then ran off with their movie and dinner.

Cloud then started the next phase of his plan. He grabbed two chairs and took them up the stairs that led to the roof. Then he proceeded back to Tifa's bedroom and asked, "Do you have something warm to put on?"

Tifa looked at him quizzically but pointed to a drawer with a sweater in it and he obligingly got it out for her to put on. "What are we doing?" she asked.

"You'll see," Cloud said. He waited as she put the sweater on and then proceeded to lift her out of bed and over his shoulder. The stairs were simply too narrow to carry her any other way.

"Cloud Strife, what on earth or you doing to me?" she asked as he carried her towards the stairs to the roof.

"I told you. You'll see," and Cloud really smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.

"Cloud, what are you doing!" Tifa shrieked as she felt the cold air hit her when Cloud opened the door that led to the roof. She couldn't see anything but the ground.

They were on the roof and Cloud was now in front of the chair that he had brought up for her. He carefully set her down taking care not to hit her foot. It was cold, so he stuck a blanket around her, tucking her in before handing her her dinner.

"Cloud, you haven't said why we're out here," Tifa stated. She really wanted to know.

"I thought we could enjoy the stars while we eat," Cloud said as he sat down in the chair next to her with his noodles in hand. He started to eat while looking up at the night sky. "They're beautiful aren't they?" He asked.

Tifa looked up and remembered another night with a sky much like this one. Cloud had been there too, just like he was now. She smiled and said, "Yes, they are.

They sat eating in silence and starring up at the stars remembering times long gone. When they finished eating, Cloud took the half full takeout container from Tifa, promising to come right back after putting it away in the fridge.

When he came back up he stood at the door just starring at her for a few minutes while she looked up at the stars. He took a breath in and exhaled slowly. This was it, time to get ready, he thought as he took the engagement ring out of his pocket and hid it in his fist. Then he walked over and sat back down in his chair.

They were both looking up when Cloud and Tifa saw a star streak across the sky.

"I call it!" Cloud yelled childishly.

"What about ladies first?" asked Tifa. "You should let me wish on it," she said teasing him.

"Ah, but my wish is to your great advantage my lady," Cloud said as he stood up and took a mock bow.

Tifa giggled and wondered what on earth Cloud could be up to.

"Tifa," Cloud said. His tone was serious again and Tifa perked her ears up to listen.

"Tifa, remember all those years ago and the promise I made to you? The one about how I would always be there to protect you?" Cloud asked.

"Of course I do Cloud, you know I do." Tifa responded wondering what this had to do with his wish.

"Well, my wish is to make a new promise that I can keep to you. It isn't good enough for me to just come to your aid when you're in danger. I want to promise to always be there for you as a husband. Will you marry me Tifa Lockhart?" Cloud asked. He was now kneeling in front of her and he had extended his hand, holding the ring out for her to see.

Tifa was shocked. Was this really Cloud proposing to her? She stared at his face and then the ring, her tongue had forgotten how to work and so had her mouth.

"Well?" Cloud asked her, nervous that she hadn't said a word. "Will you have me?" he asked.

Tifa came out of her stupor and stared directly into Clouds gorgeous blue eyes. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" She exclaimed, reality finally sinking in. Tifa looked at the ring as he slipped it on her finger. It looked just like a shooting star with the pattern of stones around the blue diamond.

When she lifted her eyes to Cloud again, she realized he was quite close. He had grabbed her shoulders and they were both inching closer together with every second. His lips touched hers. They were surprisingly soft and smooth. Cloud started applying more pressure, deepening the kiss. Tifa was a little surprised when she felt his tongue graze her lips but succumbed to his wishes and opened her mouth enough for him to gain entrance.

She had never experienced a kiss like this before and her body was racing with the excitement and her breathing had quickened. They continued kissing for quite some time. By now Cloud had Tifa in his arms and she had ensnared her hands in his thick hair.

They finally broke apart, breathing heavily from the excitement and looked up at the stars. Tifa shivered from the cold, even though she still had the blanket, her sweater and Cloud's arms around her.

"Do you want to go back inside?" Cloud questioned her. He didn't want her to get sick on top of having a sprained foot.

"I think so, but do you have to carry me like that?" Tifa asked.

"Like what? Like this?" Cloud teased as he picked her up unceremoniously like he had before.

"Yes, like this," Tifa said. "Isn't there a better way?"

"Can you really think of another way that I'll be able to get you back inside down those narrow steps?" Cloud asked her in all seriousness.

"Not really," Tifa consented.

Cloud headed for the door and took her back down the stairs to her room. After he laid her down on the bed he went and got the chairs from outside. "I'll go check on the kids," Cloud announced to Tifa before going to the living room.

When he checked on them they were still engrossed in their movie so Cloud let them be and decided to look for his cure materia.

When Cloud got to his room he went over to a case that had his materia in it and started looking through his stockpile. Where the heck was it? He sifted through the different colored globes three times and still he couldn't find his cure materia. There seemed to be only one thing to do, call Vincent.

Cloud heard the other end of the line ring a few times before he heard, "The cellular caller you are trying to reach is either away from the phone or out of their calling area, now transferring you to voice mail for 'Vincent' Beep."

"Hey Vincent, this is Cloud, if you have time, call me back tomorrow," He hung up and went back to Tifa's room.

Tifa looked up when Cloud entered the room. She was right where he had left her and looked as beautiful as ever. "I've looked through all my materia now and can't seem to find my cure materia. So, I called Vincent," Cloud announced. "Hopefully he still has a cure materia, if he hasn't lost his too."

"That's strange that neither one of us can find our cure materia, though," Tifa said. "I've never lost one and now that I'm thinking about it, if Yuffie took it she would have taken all of them and not just one," she said thinking out loud while stifling a yawn.

"You must be tired," Cloud said as he saw Tifa yawn. "I'll get the kids to bed tonight," Cloud offered.

"Thank you Cloud, just make sure they brush their teeth. Marlene is good about it, but Denzel takes…" Tifa started telling him.

"Don't worry about it," Cloud interrupted and putting his index finger to Tifa's lips. "I said I'll take care of them and I will," he said as he gave her a quick kiss. He got up and went to the door, opening it before turning around and giving Tifa one last look before he shut the door.

Tifa sighed, she had to get up and change somehow. She hopped on one foot over to her dresser and pulled out some bedclothes before turning to hop back. When she reached the bed, she rested against the side of it while she changed and then proceeded to her bathroom. By the time Tifa got to the sink where she was going to brush her teeth she notice how exhausted she was after jumping on one foot.

After Tifa was done, she started to hop back to her bed when her good foot slipped and she fell with a loud thump. Normally she would have been okay, but it really knocked the wind out of her and she just lay there, trying to remember how to breathe.

Cloud came bursting into her room and saw her sprawled out on the floor. He rushed to her side and helped her to sit up. "Are you alright? I thought you would wait for me to help you get around," he said. Cloud looked at her, concern on his face. She was shaking from the shock of having the air knocked out of her. He didn't wait for an answer as he picked her up in his strong arms and carried her back to her bed. He sat down with her and held her close until she regained her composure.

When Tifa was able to function again, she reassured Cloud that she was okay.

"Well, I'm not going to let it happen again. I'm staying in here tonight in case you need me," Cloud stated.

"You are not," Tifa responded. "I can take care of myself."

"Oh, I can see that," Cloud said sarcastically. He immediately saw that he shouldn't have said that. Tifa's eyes had welled up with tears.

Her voice was shaky, "I usually can." Tifa felt so embarrassed that she was stuck having to depend on someone for just getting around. All her frustration with Cloud leaving that morning and her foot getting sprained and now her falling came to a head and she started to cry. Normally she wouldn't let Cloud see her this way, but if he was going to be her fiancé, she would have to get used to him seeing her in more compromising situations than she was used to. It wouldn't be truthful to hide her feelings from him.

Cloud didn't know what else to do so he just held her close and let her cry out her frustrations. She hadn't told him that he was a part of it, but he had a feeling he was. Eventually she cried herself out and fell asleep in his arms.

Cloud gently laid her down and went to his room to get changed before he came back with a pillow and a few blankets. He made a bed for himself on the floor and fell asleep to the sound of Tifa's gentle breathing.

Thank you for reading. I forgot to mention earlier that I really did sprain my own foot in a similar fashion not to long ago. Also, when I was 6 years old I was bucked off a horse and had the wind knocked out of me pretty good. I know falling isn't the same, but I like trying to bring a little of my own experience into the story. The part where Tifa gives her answer with repeated yeses is also mirroring my own answer when my husband asked me to marry him. Sorry I don't have that line that divides all this, for some reason even when I try to put it in, the program ignores me.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, the Care Bears, or Halloween.

* * *

Cloud stirred once during the night thinking that Tifa was going to get up, but soon realized she was just talking in her sleep. He had chuckled to himself at the time, but by morning he couldn't remember what she had said. When he finally did get up he noticed that Tifa was still sleeping, so he just stayed where he was waiting for her to wake up while he thought about things.

What would their life be like now? When would they tell the kids? How would they tell the kids? When would they get married? All these questions circled Cloud's mind as he lay there waiting…

"Eeeeeeaaaaahhh," Tifa whined as she stretched awake. "Oooooo," she screeched when she realized her foot still hurt. She was sitting up immediately with her covers pulled back and looking at her foot. It had now doubled in size for sure and it was already getting a dark bruise on the inside of it right below the ankle. "Oh my," she exclaimed when she saw the bruise.

Cloud got up to see her foot and what she was talking about. He sat at the end of her bed and fingered the bruise lightly. "Does it hurt?" he asked concerned.

Tifa looked from her foot to Cloud. Wow, he was gorgeous. All he was wearing were a long pair of dark blue PJ bottoms. His arms and chest were perfectly toned. Tifa almost forgot that he had asked her a question, let alone that he had spoken. She shook her head before remembering to respond. "No, it just looks really bad, but it doesn't hurt like a bruise."

Cloud couldn't help but notice that she looked really good in her tank top and pajama pants. The tank top said "WISH BIG" over the top of an aqua colored Care Bear with a shooting star on its white tummy. The pajama pants were striped in white and aqua with shooting stars all over. "Let me help you up. I can help you make it to the bathroom," Cloud offered.

"Okay," said Tifa, "but I need to pick out some clothes.

"I'll get them for you," Cloud offered. "Is there anything in particular that you want to wear?"

"No, you can pick out something for me," Tifa replied.

Cloud went to her dresser and picked out a pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt with a moogle on the front. He also picked out a pair of cotton black panties with a matching bra.

Tifa giggled at how Cloud handled her undergarments, he was so cute the way he was so delicate with them. She watched him take her clothes into the bathroom for her and then he came back for her.

He helped Tifa over to the bathroom and gave her a kiss before letting her close the door on him. Cloud smiled since he knew he would be quicker at getting ready for the day than her. So he went off to the other bathroom in the hall to get cleaned up.

Cloud got out of the bathroom with time to spare, so he went to check on the kids. It was the weekend, so they were allowed to sleep in. Marlene was still asleep and had some stuffed animal in her arms. He checked on Denzel's room next and saw that Denzel was sprawled out all over his bed like he'd been knocked out. Well, that was the norm for them.

Right when Cloud was closing Denzel's door, he heard his cell phone ring back in Tifa's room. He raced back to see if it was Vincent. He had left his phone on the nightstand and it was playing a tune akin to Halloween. Cloud gave a gratified, "Yes," when he heard it. It was Vincent. "Hey Vincent," Cloud said once he had picked up the call.

"What do you want Cloud?" Vincent's voice came from the other end.

"I have a problem, I can't seem to find my cure materia and Tifa can't find hers either. It doesn't make sense, I know where I left it and it isn't there. So, I was wondering if you would come over with yours for me to borrow." Cloud was a little nervous asking this of his friend, but he wasn't sure about anyone else he could call.

"Sure thing, what happened that you need it?" Vincent asked. What could Cloud have done now?

"It's a long story," Cloud said. He didn't want to give more away than he had to about Tifa's foot. It was her injury and he didn't want to embarrass her with saying, "she sprained her foot because I left."

Luckily, Vincent left it at that and he agreed to come as soon as he could.

The bathroom door opened just as Cloud ended the call. He looked up to see Tifa, her hair still damp and dressed in the clothes he had picked out for her. Cloud immediately strode over to her to help her back over to her bed. He sat next to her and took her left hand in his. "Do you still like it?" he asked, referring to her ring.

Tifa saw it sparkle for the first time in the sunlight that was streaming through her curtains and saw the fire and sparks flashing in the stones. "Of course I do," she said. Tifa really thought it was the perfect ring for her. She looked back up at Cloud. He was so close. She could smell a combination of musk and something she couldn't quite pinpoint. It made her stomach flip and her nerves quivered with excitement.

Cloud on the other hand was intrigued with her. She smelled like a bouquet of flowers, fruit and spices. It was intoxicating and he didn't even notice that he was inching closer to her with every passing second. Before he knew it their lips had touched and he was kissing her. His mouth roamed over hers hungry for more of last night's kiss now reborn in the morning light.

Their lips were locked in a furious war. Cloud's hands had found their way to her waist, while Tifa's had once again ended up in his spiky hair. They felt like staying this way forever, but pulled apart when they heard Cloud's stomach growl.

"I guess it is time for breakfast," Tifa said giggling. "Will you help me down to the kitchen Cloud?" she asked.

"No, I've got it covered already," said Cloud. "Don't worry about a thing. Just stay here and I'll be back with your breakfast," he said as he gave her a quick peck.

Cloud helped Tifa to get her leg elevated again and went downstairs. On his way down he was thinking about the wonderful warm fuzzy feeling he had inside. It made him feel like he would burst from being too happy. He supposed it was a good feeling even if he wasn't used to it.

The kitchen had everything he needed to make a good breakfast. Cloud decided on fried potatoes and eggs with toast. To drink they had orange juice. While he was waiting for the pans to heat he located a breakfast tray.

Breakfast was almost ready when Denzel and Marlene came downstairs. They had smelled the food upstairs and came down with their hungry bellies to see if there would be any for them. Of course Cloud had made enough for everyone and so the kids sat down to talk while they waited for the food.

When everything was ready, Cloud dished out plates of food to the kids and then put his and Tifa's plates together on the tray. He walked carefully up the stairs to avoid tipping the juice and got to Tifa's room without spilling.

Back in the kitchen Marlene was telling Denzel how she'd noticed that Cloud would be eating with Tifa. "What do you think is going on?" Marlene asked Denzel.

Denzel just shrugged his shoulders and kept eating while Marlene pondered this strange occurrence. It wasn't strange for them to eat together, something seemed different and Marlene couldn't quite place it.

Tifa looked up when Cloud entered with the tray and set it over her lap. "Wow," she said in an impressed tone. "This looks and smells great," Tifa said as she looked up at him.

Cloud just smiled back at her. Then he went to the other side of the bed and sat down next to her, grabbing his plate out of her way.

Tifa tried her food and was surprised by how good it was. "Cloud," she said, "this is excellent."

She started wolfing her food down much to Cloud's surprise. He wondered how she maintained her beautiful figure if she ate like that. "Slow down," Cloud said worried she would choke, "It's not going to run off your plate." She slowed down, so Cloud went back to thinking about the things he had been thinking about that morning.

Tifa noticed the seriousness of his silence and ventured to ask. "What is it Cloud?" She got no acknowledgement out of him so she said, "CLOUD." At this point he snapped out of it and she repeated her question.

Cloud swallowed before he answered. "I've been thinking a lot about how and when we're going to tell Marlene and Denzel about us. The problem is that I haven't gotten any ideas," he admitted.

A smile graced Tifa's lips as she suggested, " how about you bring them up here after we are all through eating. We can break it to them then, besides it wouldn't take them long to figure it out. They've probably already noticed that we are acting differently."

Back in the kitchen Marlene and Denzel were just finishing up breakfast and were talking about how to get to the bottom of this new "behavior" they had noticed. Marlene was hoping that Cloud and Tifa were "getting together" and Denzel was thinking about how cool it would be to have a "Mom" and a "Dad" that were more than just friends, but a real family. He hadn't had that for what seemed like ages now and he didn't dare to hope.

"Let's go listen by the door," suggested Marlene.

"No way," said Denzel, "we'd get caught for sure."

Unbeknownst to the two, Cloud had come back down and had heard the last part of his sentence. "What would you get caught doing?" he asked Denzel. Cloud didn't understand it, but he smelled some kind of mischief brewing.

Denzel froze on the spot while Marlene said, "Nothing," a little to fast.

Cloud decided to watch them sweat a little and said, "come up with me to Tifa's room."

Denzel looked at Marlene with a look that said 'now you've done it.'

* * *

Wow! The line worked for me and I don't know what I did to fix it.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I really appreciate it so much. I hope to bring you a new chapter by next week at the latest.


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